The Truth Re Drew is Not Blue

November 15, 2006

First things first. J.D. is not a center fielder. So the agent calls his boy a center fielder; it doesn’t make it so. Is Drew a power hitter because Scott Boras says he is, with all of 20 homers in 2006 to back it up? I don’t think so.

Drew’s played 118 games in center this millennium. He played a whopping 97 as a rookie in 1998, when he came oh-so-close to triple figures in appearances. 97 games, all those years and injuries ago.

In 2005, with Milton Bradley entrenched in center (as entrenched as Bradley can be), Drew floated the idea that playing center might be easier on the bum knee, what with all the running to his right and all. Or was it his left? Whichever. Jim Tracy, always the gentleman, declined politely while actually keeping a straight face publicly.

Anyway, you can forget the BS “it’s just business” explanation from Scott Boras, not that trotting out the “it’s just business” card really makes anything Boras does OK. According to a reliable baseball source, here’s what actually happened:

“You can bet your Sandy Koufax statue that J.D. Drew gave up his final
three years because Scott Boras already has another deal lined up. And
tampering will never be proven. The only other scenario by which Drew
would've bailed was if the Dodgers had paid him a chunk of
cash to give up his deal (rumor has it, an $8 million "buy-out” figure
was discussed at one time). [Ned Colletti] has denied any such deal, so you should expect a new deal for Drew to be announced at a time when it seems appropriate enough to not be accused of tampering.” Works for me…

Talkback: Your comments are always encouraged…

Hot Stove Stuffing: Los Angeles Times reporter Steve Henson, who covers the Dodgers as well as anyone, says in Tuesday’s online edition that “the Dodgers are interested in Luis Gonzalez, Cliff Floyd, Trot Nixon, Aubrey Huff and Frank Catalanotto if they can't land [Alfonso] Soriano or [Carlos] Lee,” mentions Adam Kennedy and Gary Matthews, Jr. as possible additions, and “a proven middle reliever…wish list includes Ron Villone, Justin Speier, Russ Springer, Chad Bradford and David Weathers.”

Why the interest in Floyd, who's about as much of an iron man as J.D. Drew, Matthew’s, Jr., who finally put together a nice season at 32 in 2006, and Aubrey Huff, who ought to have been disqualified just for being a former Tampa Bay Devil Ray but wasn't? I have no idea. Shannon Stewart and Juan Pierre, who hits .300 and never misses a game, are better selections to play center (actually play center) in L.A. than is Kenny Lofton, who Henson sites as a possibility to return.

But Chad Bradford is a stud, and the Dodgers should go out of their way to sign him. Bradford’s lifetime postseason ERA in 17 appearances is nonexistent. That’s right, 0.00. Speier would be a nice second choice…

Media Savvy: The Times’ Morning Briefing has never been in better hands. Mike Penner combines a solid knowledge of Los Angeles sports history with humor and perspective. All we care about is the baseball stuff, and getting quoted, of course, but we dig it…

On the other hand, while we loved the recent West Magazine feature “Strivers: Portraits of 37 Southern Californians who beat the odds and made it big,” by Thomas Curwen, you just had to know we weren’t going to let this line about Gene Autry get by with a pass: “He was in 93 films and 91 episodes of his TV show, and built a broadcasting and baseball empire.” Baseball empire? If you call three little divisions and zero pennants an empire, then sure…

Top 100 Prospect Ranking, courtesy of TopProspectAlert.com is worth book-marking. The Top 10 prospects by team lists from the site are invaluable too, as are the interviews of players like Albert Pujols, Mark Prior and Joe Mauer, while they were in the minors. Great stuff …

Prediction: Texas wins it all next year. Piece of cake. If history repeats itself, anyway. After Buck Showalter’s firing in New York, the Yankees immediately won four of the next five World Series. Coincedence? Well, after Showalter’s second try at managing ended with his firing from the Arizona team he helped build, the Diamondbacks went on to win the next championship in 2001. So the Rangers are a lock for 2007…

Rhetorical Question of the Day: Why is Bob Brenly still a manager on the outside looking in? He’s the only guy with a ring not managing today. A perfect fit for San Francisco…

Hair Plug: After letting the Squeeze go Bob Ojeda on my hair last week, I was in need of some professional help. For that, I go to my friend Candace, over at West Coast Cuts & Colors in Woodland Hills. She's the best, and fixed me right up. Great service and damn good prices. WCCC is in the Taft Plaza, at the corner of Winnetka and Ventura, next to the Starbucks. Tell em Howard sent you.

And if you’re in the neighborhood on any given morning around 10, you absolutely must pop into that Starbucks. There you’ll find the most stunning Jim Murray look-alike imaginable. I bleep you not. Check him out…

Statue for Sandy: The Koufax in bronze campaign continues. Please Vote “Yes on 32.” And tell a friend…

Remember, glove conquers all….

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